Like everyone else I was very excited to see how Apple was going to revolutionize the tablet device. Rumors came and went with people trying to second guess the features, specs and price.
So after the hype the iPad appears to be on only half of what I was expecting from Apple.
- Where is the camera? iChat or Skype (even Skype HD) would be great on this device.
- What no USB? How can it be great for Photos when I can't get them onto the device?
- Multitasking? Oh come on now I really miss this from my Nokia N95!
As no one has really had hands on experience with the device I can only speculate as to the UI & UX on the iPad. There will be the usual Apple OS slickness and tiny little touches but what about that bevel around the outside? I know you have to hold it but why is it that big?
Also the home screen just looks wrong. I know there is the HCI reason that they have kept to only showing four icons across but they just look lost. Surely there must be a better home screen UI on it's way. It's a different device to the iPhone similarities are good, a plain copy for something that is double the size I don't think is right.
If your travelling light the iPad would be such a fantastic tool. Unlocked so you can get a PAYG Sim from any country you happen to be travelling in and get online. They really missed a trick here. I could have read iBooks on the flight, saved movies and had a web browser when I needed it (Flash plugin aside for a moment).
Below is the video I'm sure you have all seen about the design of the iPad.
It has become clear that Apple is being driven more by sales in an App Store and less by a compelling user experience which is a great shame.
